Bloggerment 47 open..

The password is Donkament as usual, but it may be case sensitive this week as it helps filter out the donkeys....( or cos I set it up donkey style!)

I've not much to say today.Yesterday I fell out with the ex over money which is a shame as we'd been getting on well and I've even had dinner there a few times with her and Step A.We've spoken today though and can hopefully keep things on a civil footing from now on.I don't think she reads the blog but her poisonous pal is net savvy so I'll not go into detail.

After a rocky start to my poker last night,I came out on top overall ,making $117 profit over 18 games.I still feel I'm not running at all well but at least I'm now only $30 down at Stars since the start of Feb.It was also good to catch up with Al Eleven in the chat thing and I'm looking forward to Al bringing his own unique brand of troutery to tonights Bloggerment!

I also enjoyed the s-mans company last night and we're hoping to get some badminton arranged for next week.I went down to Kilmarnock for the Rangers game today and my cousin and I watched us win 2-0 to stay 4 points clear at the top of the league.It wasn't pretty to watch but that's 8 league wins in a row and that could prove to be title winning form if we can edge out our rivals in the upcoming Old Firm games.It was funny listening to the derranged celtc fans calling the radio phone-ins to accuse the refs in Scotland of being biased.They've won the league over the last two seasons and not a squeak, but the moment Rangers regain our rightful place at the top and it's all a conspiracy against them.

Ok,just eaten a fine sausage supper ( 2 sausages in batter with chips) and it's time to make my sandwiches up and then hit the tables...

Bloggerment 23!

The long warm up

Spent loads of time messing around yesterday and finally decided to begin my pokery fun by playing a $1 Brit/Irish mtt on Stars with about 80 others.I was down to 200 chips after my flopped two pair big blind special ( gotta love 53 off) was beaten by a higher flopped 2 pair ( Q5).Can you work the flop out ? :-)

I won an all in with Aces and before I knew it I was chip leader by a mile and wondering when I was ever going to get to play a proper $$$ game! I very rarely chat at the tables I play at, but as it was only $1 I happily got involved and had a good laugh doing so.

I made the final table in 2nd and much like the Britblogger game,pride came into it and despite the lowly prizes on offer,everyone seemed to be playing to win.I came 3rd for $20 after my AK was beaten by k10sooooted.The poker gods must have enjoyed that one because a player won a huge pot at my earlier table after going all in with k10 sooted after a raise and reraise and the move was debated for ages afterwards.Well, until the player complaining pushed QJ and went out!All good fun and it was nice chatting to some of the UKFF crew ( Skivey,Minx-girl,Everton babe,Trikky Dikky,Big Dazzer,slimcraigs,jashawk,Paulo n co) who were playing.

After that I played some $50 nl at Laddies and won over $90.I decided to step up and take a wee shot at $1-$2 6 max ( I don't take nearly enough shots at higher levels)and after dropping $60 pretty quickly I moved to two tabling $100nl full ring games.I came out even there over two hours play.I did lay down AK after making the mistake of limping with it and then raising a King high flop.A big stack reraised me on the turn and although I could have been ahead ( it was $10 to call into a $40 pot) I laid it down.Maybe a little weak as he could easily have had KQ/KJ.I don't mind limping with AK if there's a mad tilter about, but not in full ring games like this one as the villain could easily have made 2 pair.

A couple of wee things before I'm done.I reckon the main difference between my cash game and tourney approach is that in cash games I don't want to appear too tight in order that I'll get paid off when I hit, whereas in tourney games a tight image is ideal for stealing when the blinds go up.

Short -stacked Seamus is putting out some quality posts just now.I loved his quote by Eugene Todd,taken from a Poker Wire radio interview where Eugene was asked about the caliber of play in the WSOP so far this year.

"“Brutal. So bad. If I went to the supermarket and put a table in aisle five and picked out the next 10 people that came and played poker with them, they’d be better than the f*&!ing idiots we’re playing with downstairs.”

Don't forget to register for tonights Britbloggerment game on Stars.See previous posts for details.

I'm off to Sainsburys to test Eugenes theory....

Gers win 2-0 !

We may have lost the league title but at least we have won the last two Old Firm games and todays win was even more convincing than our win at their place last month.Boyd scored first and Charlie Adam sealed it with a peach of a freekick.It should have been more!Now I just need to get my voice back again....

Not much to shout about on the poker front.I won a $15 turbo ( 18 player) last night but never made the money in six others to leave me about even.I've also realised that if I'm going to play cash tables, then I need to have enough time to devote to it, and not be in a hit and run type mode, where I take chances when I don't really know my table.I lost $20 at Stars with 88 v A6, after the villain hit a 6 on the turn and river.Yes that was maybe unlucky, but it was a lowish ( lower than 8) ragged board and after he had called my 5bb preflop ( and he was also the big stack)I didn't push it hard enough post flop as I was worried about betting into an overpair.Maybe I should stick to limp calling with my pairs....( set mining!)

I moved to Full Tilt as the s-man was there and managed to blow a buy-in at a cash table when once again I just couldn't lay a losing hand down.My awfuckit calls are usually made instantly and at least this time I managed to force myself to slow down and consider the situation a little more.Unfortunately my thought process went like this..I have QQ and have made a decent preflop raise and the villain has check called my increasingly larger bets on the flop and turn.The flush and straight draws have both come in and after my river bet he has raised me all in for a further $26.If I'd watched someone else play this hand I'd be screaming fold but something told me he didn't have the flush or straight and could be making a move with tptk.( flop was 7 high so an A7 type hand was in my mind).I made the call and he's been ahead with a set of sevens since the flop had come.Grrrrrr!

The good news is that I kept my head and won the $11 turbo I played with the s-man to leave me only down a little at FT.

Ok,that's it for todays witterings.Don't forget to register for tomorrows Britbloggerment 7 game on Stars at 9pm bst.Password is donkament and anyone and everyone is welcome to play.

Mrs A is working tonight so I'm off to roll a large one and watch the rerun of todays victory before hitting the tables later...

Mortgage wars go on....

I called my mortgage firm today and they have said they will only pay the transfer fee ( they overpaid my remortgage amount by £5000) and not the additional £75 arrangement fee I requested.They charged me a £499 arrangement fee to set up the remortgage in the first place.

I'm looking forward to the battle.Even if I don't win, I guarantee it will cost them more than £75 in costs by the time I'm finished.I've already requested their code of practice, details of their escalation process and Ombudsman contacts.I'll also be writing to their chairman,chief exec and janitor!

I will be asking them for a full breakdown ( in writing) of their own arrangment fee, a justification for it and why they feel they shouldn't pay me a fee for arranging to give them it back.Of course I also want an explanation as to why the error occured in the first place and the steps put in place to ensure it doesn't happen again.


I reckon I'll manage to come up with another minor ( but fairly obscure) dozen points I wish addressed too.I'm going to start with asking if they feel the signage outside my local branch is sufficently clean enough for a company of their size to be satisfied with it.

Maybe their records show that when I renewed my mortgage with them previously, I complained about the arrangement fee and eventually got them to cut it in half.Anyway time to go to war!!


To the poker and I managed another 4th in the one $15 turbo I played last night before heading off to spend some time with Mrs A.

After she went to bed I hit up two Party $50nl 6 max tables.Poker Indicator doesn't work on resized tables which is a pain but I like the using the tiling effect to see both at once.I may even have a go at 4 tabling.

Anyways I didn't play long but was lucky enough to almost double my buy-in which made up for Wednesday nights debacle.

This time KK held up but I was wondering during the hand if I'd be blogging about another of my donk moves ( yeah, mostly C's in your quiz Mr Cloud!)after possibly letting the villain catch his straight on the turn.Thankfully he had 55 and my check on the K 4 3 rainbow flop allowed him to catch his 5 on the turn and the money went in at that point and my set of Kings beat his set of fives to take it down.

This was one time I was glad I'd let the villain catch up in the hand as a big post flop bet from me would probably have won a much smaller pot.


The hand is here if anyone is interested.

I'll be taking Mrs A out for a driving lesson tonight before dropping her off at friends and hitting the tables.I may not make Kats donkamanet rebuy game tonight as I need to be up tomorrow for a trip through to Edinburgh to see Rangers play Hibs.As a season ticket holder I get 3-5 away games per season and this is my last one for this year.

As ever thanks for stopping by and don't forget to register for Sundays Britbloggerment game at 9pm bst on 'Stars.Password is donkament and everyone is welcome.

After Midnight

Won one $15 turbo and my 1010 fell to AKs in another.Out the late night crap shoot and 3rd in an $11 turbo at Full Tilt.I'm also up bit ( don't wanna tempt fate) at the cash tables so far...

Don't forget to register for Britbloggerment 4 ,Sun 9pm BST on Pokerstars.Find it under Tournament/Private.Password:Donkament.All Welcome!


Ok,I hereby make up for the short crapness of this post with these two fine music clips..enjoy!